Happy April Fool’s Day! Truthfully, there isn’t a whole lot in the way of new releases this week, but read ahead and you might find something of interest among these highlights. As always, click on the links to read more detailed reviews of the movies in question. So if you can’t make it out to the movie theater this week, be sure to check these out!
Big New Releases!
47 Ronin – This fantasy samurai epic was one of the biggest money losers of 2013. Costing somewhere between $175 and $200 million dollars, few saw it when it arrived in theaters over the Christmas holiday. The period tale follows a group of rogue samurai seeking vengeance for the murder of their master. Keanu Reeves stars with Hhiroyuki Sanada. It didn’t get much love from critics either – while some found the movie beautiful to look at, many disliked the rather serious and grim tone and were perplexed by Reeves’ role in the traditional Japanese tale. Now viewers can make up their own minds. Read the site’s original review here.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues – The biggest movie of the week continues the adventures of Ron Burgandy. In this comedic follow-up, he re-teams with his old team to begin work anchoring at a new 24 hour news station. The impressive cast includes Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Christina Applegate and Kristin Wiig. Of course, it’s also filled with loads of celebrity cameos. The majority of the press didn’t find this movie as funny as its predecessor, but many felt that the movie was funny in fits and spurts. Read our original review here.
At Middleton – Those in the mood for a romantic comedy may want to give this effort a try. It follows two parents accompanying their children on a university campus tour. They form a friendship, break off from the group and discuss their own college experiences and life decisions. Surely, the popular and well freceived Before Sunrise movie series was an inspiration to this effort. Andy Garcia and Vera Farmiga take on the lead roles. Critics were mixed about the film, complementing the actors but finding the story not quite as deep and meaningful as it believes itself to be.
The Bag Man – This independent crime flick follows a thug sent out by a mob boss to run an errand. As expected, things don’t go according to plan. Reviewers generally disliked the film, calling a noir-style thriller and Tarantino-esque knock off that doesn’t quite work. Still, renters might want to check it out for the great actors involved, including John Cusack, Robert DeNiro, Crispin Glover and Domenic Purcell.
Knights of Badassdom – Fans of fantasy fairs will probably want to check out this indie comedy about a group of quirky people known as LARPers (live action role players) who accidentally raise a demon from Hell. Expect lots of crude humor from the cast, which features Ryan Kwanten, Steve Zahn, Peter Dinklage, Summer Glau, Brain Posehn and Danny Pudi. The press gave it mixed reviews. Some seemed to find it enjoyably silly, while others felt it was juvenile. It seems like mileage will vary depending on one’s sense of humor.
The Little Rascals Save the Day – Yep, apparently they’re still making Little Rascal flicks. This newest attempt to resurrect the franchise is a direct-to-DVD effort follows Spanky, Alfalfa and the rest of the gang as they try to save their grandmother’s bakery by winning the grand prize in a local talent show. Doris Roberts essays the role of the grandmother. Reviewers haven’t been able to see it yet, so interested parties will have to rent it themselves to find out what they’re in for.
The Pirate Fairy – Disney brings a new animated Peter Pan spin-off to DVD. The plot follows Tinker Bell, who must find and retrieve one of her own kind who has joined a band of pirates. It actually received reasonable reviews. Writers suggested that while the final product isn’t on the level of a theatrical release, it’s decent enough to entertain youngsters at home. The film also features a sizable voice cast that includes Mae Whitman, Christina Hendricks, Tom Hiddleston, Lucy Liu and Angelica Huston.
Blasts From the Past!
Fans of giant monster movies will pleased to see the arrival of two Kong related flicks on Blu-ray. Universal is releasing the 1963 monster melee King Kong vs. Godzilla. Additionally, the 1968 film King Kong Escapes (in which Kong fights a mechanized version of himself) is also hitting high definition. There aren’t any detailed features listed so it’s hard to say at this point if the disc offer anything more than the movies themselves. It’s unlikely the discs will come with special features, but they’ll probably be the sharpest and most impressive versions loo king ever released.
If you grew up in the 80’s, you probably are familiar with wrestler Hulk Hogan and the WWF. While Hogan made the odd screen cameo in films like Rocky III, the 1989 feature No Holds Barred gave him his first lead role. He plays a character much like himself, who stands up to a television network executive and ends up squaring off against the villain’s bulky fighter in the ring. If memory serves, the film’s acting is laughable and it’s pretty terrible in general, but it still may provide some unintentional laughs for nostalgia buffs. Hogan stars with Tommy Lister, Joan Severance, Kurt Fuller and David Paymer. Now on Blu-ray, the movie probably looks just as gauzy as it did in theaters, but it does come with a couple of bonus features, including two period Hulk Hogan WWF wrestling matches.
You Know, For Kids!
Two of the biggest releases have already been written about above, but here they are again with some more child friendly releases. The Daffy Duck and Scooby-Doo titles present a few select episodes/cartoons featuring the familiar characters.
Daffy Duck & Friends
The Little Rascals Save the Day
The Pirate Fairy
Power Rangers: Season 13-17
Power Rangers: Turbo Vol. 1
Sesame Street: Elmo & Friends
Scooby-Doo & Friends
On the Tube!
And here’s the varied mix of TV shows coming out this week.
Action: The Complete Series
American Experience: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (PBS)
Broadchurch: Season 1
The Client List: Season 2
Finding Bigfoot: Volume 3
George Gently: Series 6
Nature: Ireland’s Wild River
Power Rangers: Season 13-17
Psych: Season 8